A: The initial pour is jet black with a dense, compact beige head. The appearance is misleading, however, as the beer proves itself to be garnet in hue when held up to the light. As can be expected of most quadruples, the lacing is great. Really, this is just a great looking beer.

S: The smell is a bit of a disappointment, proving to be simplistic for the style. My nose was greeted by a fiery alcohol scent, and after several attempts, I was just barely able to detect faint aromas of raisins, figs, and prunes.

T: The taste is complex and surprisingly lacking in any sort of alcohol burn, so don't expect there to be a tremendous amount of continuity between the sensations present on the nose and those present on the palate. Notes of raisins, figs, prunes, milk chocolate, woody spice, heavy cream, brandy, and maple syrup are easily detected. The finish is long, rich, and warming with a notable brandy and fruitcake character.

M: Full bodied, slick, and velvety with a prickle of carbonation. An alcohol burn is somewhat noticeable in the mouth, though as I noted in the section above, heavy alcohol flavors are thankfully absent. This ale becomes a bit sticky and syrupy on the finish. In my opinion, it needs a little more balance to be truly successful.

O: I had some difficulty rating this beer because it's so hit-or-miss for me. On the one hand, it looks great and tastes great, while on the other, its smell is not all that appealing and the mouthfeel is a little too boozy for my liking. In the end, this is a fairly solid quadruple, but it has the potential to be so much more.

Pours a dark brown color, w/ a massive three finger cocoa head. Head sticks around for about 10 minutes without moving. Excellent lacing on my snifter glass. Some dark crimson highlights when held up to the light. The nose is really fantastic- raisin, apple, fig, plum, malt, yeast. Really smooth and blended extremely well. No hint of the 11% ABV. Taste is equally as impressive, with toffee, caramel, and a touch of alcohol burn on the aftertaste. Feel is medium for the style, and super smooth. There is a crisp carbonated aftertaste as well. I really liked this beer. Let's hope the 11% ABV kills my cold. Cheers!

Pour: Clear, dark ruby red to mahogany body. Thick, frothy three fingered tan head that recedes very slowly and leaves thick rings of lacing behind all the way down. Total eye candy.

Smell: Tart and sweet with a combination of sour and dark fruity tones, lots of caramel malty goodness, a touch of molasses, and a touch of alcohol astringency.

Taste: Rich and full flavored. Lots of caramel, and brown sugar sweetness with a touch of sour cherry and the ever slightest hint of vanilla. Chocolatey middle with hints of raisin and dried plum. Dry, tart finish with a moderate level of bitterness and a hint of mocha. Slightly alcoholic and warming.

Mouthfeel: Medium to thick body with high carbonation. Slightly creamy and ultra-smooth.

Drinkability/Overall: Very easy drinking, with lots of good flavor leaving you yearning for the next sip. You could easily put away a couple of these big bottles, though you wouldn't like the results next morning, as it is 11%!

Final Notes: One hell of a beer. This is one to sip on in front of a fireplace in the cold weather to warm up. Would also make a great after-dinner beer or beer to pair with dessert. It is a touch dangerous at 11% though, so treat it with respect!

Presentation: 750 ml corked and caged brow bottle. Dark somber label with the image of a humanized half-moon in dark golden brown over black background. Back label notes main intent and characteristics alongside brewery background. Narrative offers cellaring and serving notes, as well as succinct wording on the characteristics of the brew. Shows bottling date 2010 on the cork, and 11% Alc. by Vol. Served in a snifter.

Memorable beer! Pours a nice cola brown with thick bubbles and lacey-creamy head that lasts for the entire duration of the pint. Nose is rich with musty, attic & cave aromas with dark cherry and an estery/yeasty element . Enormous carbonation and therefore tingling pleasant mouthfeel that hosts a range of flavors from cherry to black tea to raisinbread. Finish has some of that musty quality and more raisins.

Best before December 2013. Good looking brew. Brown like black tea, but with ruby highlights in normal light. Backlit, it is mahogany/ruby in color, with excellent clarity. it is highly carbonated and a gentle pour fills the tulip about 50/50 liquid and foam. The head is creamy and thick on top, but big bubbles cling to the side. It recedes gradually and leaves thick patches of lace and foam on the edges.

Wow, I can smell from afar. When I finally stick my nose into the glass I am greeted by rich dark fruity notes, yeasty spiciness, and gentle boozy warming helping to open my sinuses. After a few minutes I detect some caramel and malty sweetness underneath all of the dark fruit. This is a really nice smelling brew, even if it isn't the most complex I've ever met. ... Unlike many brews that seem to open up during the sample, this one is putting out less and less as the glass drains.

The taste follows the nose. Yeasty dark fruit and spice define it, but there is also a mellow bitterness evident right from the first sip. The rich caramel malty sweetness is far more evident in the flavor than in the nose, and provides good balance and contrast with the spicy/fruity yeasty character. The bitterness, from modest hopping I assume, is spot on and really helps balance and adds depth. Very tasty.

Carbonation is strong, body is full and rich, and a whisper of dryness in the mildly bitter finish.

This is a really well done Quad, that I believe would hold it's own with some of the best. I think it's better than the Westy 12 my buddy shared with me the other day.

bubbly, dark brown with beautiful garnet highlights, and monster 3" tall creamy off-white colored head. the head settles down to a 1/2" layer that stays to the bottom of the glass, leaving great lacing. pleasant aroma of raisins and booze.

tastes of brown sugar, a little fruit - figs, raisins. contrary to the smell, no alcohol detected in the taste. body is fairly thin, but smooth, easy to drink.

Ok, after my soup and Zot Dubbel at the Halve Maan on 28SEP11, I opted for a 0.33l bottle of the Quad for "dessert", at €4.00. Good choice!

I filled my glass with a deep, deep dark brown liquid, opaque even to backlighting. A creamy, short beige head layered things up top, lasting well and lacing nicely. Aroma was a tad restrained, yet dark fruit was noticeable here. Though the bier felt a touch airy on the tongue, it still had a solid medium body.

Flavorwise, it started dry right off. Subtle choco malts with light sweetness melded with dark fruit, more as the quad warmed. Had no real bitterness per se, and could be more complex, but it was still damn tasty. Zum Wohl!!

Pours up nice and pretty with that beautiful, soaring quadrupel head. Lacing stays true throughout the glass, almost like a foam wall.
This is definitely a sipper. Take a big swig and it looses drinkability points. When sipped slowly, the foam gets to build in your mouth (my favorite part of a quad) and all those malty flavors release.
I would really like to see one of these in a cellar for nearly a year.

Straffe Hendrik Quadruple. 4 pack of 11.2 oz bottles. Nice artwork of a celestial moon with a face on both the bottle and cap. Box has a detailed history of the brewery and it's present day status in Bruges. Pours a beautiful deep dark brown with decent head. Has the same nose as the best quads, Rochefort 10 and St. Bernardus come to mind. Raisons and figs. Nice lacing. This quad tastes awesome! It has perfect carbonation and the 11 percent is very well hidden. This Belgian, in my opinion, ranks up at the top of the quads. I'm very surprised at earlier reviews as I will definitely seek out more. This is a must try. Enjoy!

A thick finger of light tan froth tops a deep mahogany-ruby body. Nice lacing on the St. Bernardus glass. A touch of yeasty funk blends well with the fruity aromas, with cherry and raspberry most noticeable. The flavor is a fine mixture of sweet and tart, with a distinct maraschino cherry flavor tempered from cloying by chocolate and caramel malt flavors. I would like a bit bolder flavor from SH Quad, but I don't say that in a disappointed way. Rather, it is tasty and enjoyable, but I suppose I was hoping for a bit more, something more complicated.

Yet for what SH Quad does, it does well. It is smooth but effervescent enough. The flavor is fine with a nice sweet finish, and the high ABV (11%) is not obstreperous.

Look - dark brown with about two and a half fingers of frothy light khaki-colored foam that dissipates quickly.

Smell - almost a wheat-like smell, but in theory shouldn't contain wheat or rye.

Taste and Mouthfeel - quite a bitter taste right from the off, but sweetened a little bit in the middle, but that level remains throughout the rest of the taste. A bit of an acrid, albeit not unpleasant, type of taste. The abv is definitely perceivable. And because of the abv, the mouthfeel is a bit stinging/warming. The texture is pretty smooth though.

Overall - a pretty interesting brew. If I have it again, I'm going to have to remember to serve it a little warmer than I did.

A: not an amazing head but the body is very dark brown but is clear.
S: very malty and very sweet with dark caramel a dark fruits.
T: very sweet, fruity caramel malt, very long lasting sweetness with a small amount of alcohol warmth.
M: sticky and coating sweetness, low carbonation but wasn't really expecting much.
O: hard to find, I've had this on tap, and now bottle and I believe I'll get it every time I see it.

Straffe Hendrik quad has a deep mahogany colored body, brown with lots of ruby highlights. The tan head forms a solid cap and leaves minimal lacing, but it has great retention, sticking around for the entire drink.

The aroma has an array of dark fruits, some spice and a lot of malt.

Malt, spice, and dark fruit are balanced very well in this one. Cherries, dates, raisins and other generic dark fruits come from the yeast, and slowly give way to the malt. The malts are sweet but not cloying, and they make up the strongest flavor by a hair. The beer is balanced and dried out in A finish by a phenolic, peppery taste. No alcohol at all, but there is just a touch of warmth. This one is balanced so well that the transition between the flavors is seamless, and nothing sticks out as being overbearing.

The body is a little bit light and carbonation a little bit high, but the lack of alcohol presence makes this acceptable for me.

This is a big-ass Belgian that hides its ABV very well. Balance and integrated flavors are its strengths. Probably worth a try even for those who don't love Belgian styles.

Taste follows the nose and delivers a quality traditional quad, full, thick and rich. Well restrained alcohol, no burn but some would be welcome. Minor grape bubblegum appears in the pleasantly fading aftertaste. Medium to full bodied smooth mouthfeel.
cheers
jd

Pours a deep ruddy brown with a tan head about 4 inches thick. Dissipates very slowly. Retains as a thin film.

Smells of rich caramel, mild fig sweetness, some cinnamon like spice, a hint of alcohol and a just a bit of hop flavor.

Tastes richly spiced, with a hint of hop bitterness, followed by caramel and brown sugar malts and some distinctly Belgian yeasty notes.

Mouth is thick with lots of fluffy carbonation.

Delicious and tasty, quite a treat. The strength makes it a sipper. The mild hint of hops is a bit different than other less hop focused quads I've had, which gives it a unique characteristic. I would have this again.

On draft at Brasserie Beck in DC. Poured into a tulip glass, rich and intense dark Belgian ale. It is brewed with a subtle blend of specialty malts, which give the ale an extremely dark color and a chewy, malty complex character. The quadruple combines a clean dryness with a warm full bodied mouth feel and essences of fruit. Overall a very nice Quad! Be warned this is some strong stuff.

A: The beer is clear dark reddish amber in color and has a light amount of visible carbonation. It poured with a finger high dense beige head that quickly died down, leaving only a thin layer of bubbles covering the surface that never completely faded away.
S: There are light to moderate aromas of dark fruits and yeast in the nose.
T: Like the smell, flavors of dark fruits stand out in the taste (cherries, plums and prunes come to mind) and there is some malty sweetness. Hints of spices are noticeable in the finish.
M: It feels medium-bodied and relatively smooth on the palate with a moderate amount of carbonation.
O: The beer is relatively easy to drink considering its strength because the alcohol is well hidden from the taste.

Apparently Brouwerij Straffe Hendrik was founded in 1564 and has been run by the same family since 1856. It is the oldest continuously operating brewery in Bruges.

Appearance:
Rich, coffee-brown body with a nice ring of sandy foam.

Aroma:
Chocolate, coffee, dark fruits. The usual.

Taste:
Toasted dark malts, dabs of coffee, and sprinklings of cocoa powder. It's heavy and somber, but very tasty. I get plums and raisins as it warms.

Mouthfeel:
Too much carbonation, but otherwise a silky-smooth, thick brew.

Harmony:
I like how Staffe Hendrik Quadrupel is less focused on the plums, cherries, raisins, and other dark fruit and more about bringing out roasted, toasted malts. While I like sweet and fruity quads, this was a welcome diversion from the norm.

Would I get it again?:
Yes. The fantastic bottle art on the the 750 ml. bottle (matte black label, moon with a face) is a plus.

Sold at around 11 dollars at the Giant Eagle Market District in Robinson. I love the De Halve Maan Brewery logo, big bottle 750 ml or 25.4 oz here. Pours a Deep russet, nearly opaque ruby tinted cola brown body...the head layers with a deep khaki tan head fomring large bands of Belgian style lacing with each sip. Aroma has a hint of cherry with apple/figs and other dark ripend fruits let's throw in raisins as well. Hint of alcohol tickles the nares with a heavily malt laiden mild dark roasted edge to it. Each sniff you take, you get more of a vinous character that really builds the backbone of the experience that this quadruple ale offers. Flavor wise this beer is drinking nicely, I'm excited to try other Straffe Hendrik offerings based on this big bodied Belgian beauty. Toasted dark malts brings on some mild bitterness but layers of complex malt also bring on layered fruit between dark plum tartness, deep sweetness of plump raisins burst, with an accent of tannins found in your favorite tea or big bodied red wine. More sweeetness than I can typically handle in a big bodied ale like this but I'm a sucker for well balanced big ass Belgian bier. Mouthfeel is still considered a bit effervescent even with loads of malts it doesn't seem the least bit cloying on my palate. Which is an amazing feat that true Belgian ales always seem to pull off with ease, it's hard to believe this is 11 percent abv, probably more hidden booze than any big American craft brewer will offer excecute. An artform the label states this is Bruges last standing brasserie or at least one of them. Mouthfeel is full bodied but carried so well with some lively carbonation it's pretty amazing. Overall exomplexity and flavor combined this is one of the better quads I've had in some time, a different style than my normal beer consumption is really a welcomed addition and revisit to beers I've tried in the past but either haven't had access to or just haven't desired since I've pretty much devoted myself to craft beer (typically hoppier offerings).